Chances are you’re using a smartphone to control your hearing aids, navigate when driving and keep in touch with video calls to family and friends – but did you know that there are many smartphone apps available to help you navigate your hearing loss? Check out some of our favorites:
- InnoCaption: InnoCaption provides real-time captioning for phone calls on your smartphone. This is a free service for the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Otter: Otter.ai is a robust transcriptioning app that can be used for automated note-taking in meetings, lectures and live captions in person. Getting started is free, but a limited number of minutes are available each month unless you purchase a paid subscription.
- The ASL App: No matter why you want to learn ASL, this app designed by Deaf people will teach you the basics of the language and help you get started communicating.
- Google Maps: Google Maps now lets you know if a venue has a hearing loop – look under the “about” tab on the venue’s information page.
- Pandora: Enjoy music streamed right to your hearing aids from your phone – Pandora is a hand-curated listening experience that changes based on your feedback.
- Libby: Libby connects you to your local library’s collection of free audio books.
We know that hearing aids are life-changing, but for some people they not perfect, so we hope these apps are helpful for those times when you need a little extra assistance!
If you don’t have hearing aids yet – don’t wait! Engage fully once again – and enjoy the convenience of streaming calls and music right to your hearing aids from your smartphone apps. Visit a HearingLife location today.